In general, a test handler supports semiconductor devices, which are fabricated by a preset manufacturing process, to be tested by a tester while moving the semiconductor devices through a fixed route. And, the test handler sorts the semiconductor devices into several classes in accordance with test results thereof. Such a test handler has been already known through a plurality of opened documents.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual plan view for a test handler 100 and a tester docked to the corresponding test handler 100.
Referring to FIG. 1, the test handler 100 includes a loading unit 110, a soak chamber 120, a test chamber 130, a desoak chamber 140, an unloading unit 150 and a pushing unit 160. And, a tester 200 is disposed behind the test chamber 130.
The aforementioned test handler 100 moves the semiconductor devices in the order of the soak chamber 120 and the test chamber 130, where a preset temperature environment is made. After the test handler supports the semiconductor devices to be tested by the tester 200 in the test chamber 130, the semiconductor devices that the tests have been completed are moved to the desoak chamber 140 to return to a normal temperature. At this moment, a test tray 11, as shown in a schematic diagram of FIG. 2, is provided as a carrier for supporting to move and to test a plurality of semiconductor devices at the same time. Referring to FIG. 2, the test tray 11 includes a number of inserts 11-1 arranged in a matrix pattern so as to accommodate the semiconductor devices; a frame 11-2 where loading parts for loading the inserts 11-1 are arranged in a matrix pattern; and combining units for keeping the inserts 11-1 in the loading parts as described later. As such a test tray 11 is provided, an operation of loading the semiconductor devices from a customer tray of the reference numeral 10a to a test tray of the reference numeral 11a is carried out in the loading unit 110, and an operation of unloading the semiconductor devices from a test tray of the reference numeral 11b to a customer tray of the reference numeral 10b is carried out in the unloading unit 150. And, the test tray 11 circulates through the loading unit 110, the soak chamber 120, the test chamber 130, the desoak chamber 140 and the unloading unit 150, i.e, by the circulation of the test tray 11, the semiconductor devices loaded on the test tray 11 are unloaded after moving through the route of the soak chamber 120, the test chamber 130 and the desoak chamber 140. For reference, the test tray 11 circulates through a preset circulation route as described above, but for the sake of convenience in the explanation of FIGS. 1 and 4, the reference numeral of the test tray 11 is marked as 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d corresponding to the points where the test tray 11 is located in the route of the test tray 11.
On the other hand, the tester 200, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 3, includes two inspection substrates named Hi-Fix boards 210a, 210b, and a plurality of sockets 210-1 corresponding to the inserts 11-1 of the test tray 11 are arranged in a matrix pattern on the Hi-Fix boards 210a, 210b. And, a test terminal (not shown) is exposed through each socket 210-1. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 1, the leads of the semiconductor devices loaded on the test trays (two test trays are disposed in upper and lower stages) of the reference numeral 11c and 11d located on the test chamber 130 are in contact with the test terminals of the sockets 210-1, respectively, thereby carrying out the test. In order to make the leads (or ball grid) of the semiconductor devices loaded on the test trays 11c, 11d contact with the test terminals of the sockets 210-1, the aforementioned pushing unit 160 is provided. That is, in order to make the leads of the semiconductor devices contact with the test terminals of the sockets 210-1 by pressing the semiconductor devices of the test trays against the sockets 210-1 of the Hi-Fix boards 210a, 210b, the aforementioned pushing unit 160 includes match plates 161a, 161b facing the test trays 11c, 11d; and a press unit 162 for pressurizing the match plates 161a, 161b, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4. Pushers 161-1 corresponding to the inserts 11-1 of the test trays 11c, 11d are arranged in a matrix pattern on the match plates 161a, 161b. 
FIG. 5 is an extracted perspective view illustrating one of the sockets 210-1 of the Hi-Fix boards 210a, 210b, the inserts 11-1 and the pushers 161-1 as explained above. Referring to FIG. 5, when applying pressure, a guide pin 161-1a of the pusher 161-1 is first inserted into a pusher guide hole 11-1a of the insert 11-1, and then a guide pin 210-1a of the socket 210-1 is inserted into a socket guide hole 11-1b of the insert 11-1 while the insert 11-1 continuously moves to the socket 210-1, thereby making the pusher 161-1, the insert 11-1, and the socket 210-1 combined as a result thereof. Generally, in accordance with the kind of the semiconductor device, the pusher 161-1 can have a structure of directly applying pressure to a semiconductor device or a structure of indirectly applying pressure through the insert 11-1. That is, the route through which the power of the press unit 162 is actually transmitted can be the pusher 161-1→the semiconductor device→the insert 11-1→the socket 210-1; or the pusher 161-1→the insert 11-1→the semiconductor device→the socket 210-1. In order to make the combination of the pusher 161-1, the insert 11-1 and the socket 210-1 appropriately carried out, the guide pin 161-1a of the pusher 161-1 and the pusher guide hole 11-1a of the insert 11-1 are to be made to face each other appropriately at the corresponding locations to each other, and so are the guide pin 210-1a of the socket 210-1 and the socket guide hole 11-1b of the insert 11-1.
On the other hand, the soak chamber 120 and the test chamber 130 has an inferior temperature environment for testing the semiconductor devices, thus the match plates 161a, 161b or the test trays 11c, 11d are thermally expanded or contracted under the influence of the temperature. But, the match plates 161a, 161b and the test trays 11c, 11d are generally made of materials of which the thermal expansion coefficients are different from each other, thus the extents of the thermal expansion or contraction thereof are different. Accordingly, such thermal expansion or contraction acts as a factor that obstructs the guide pin 161-1a of the pusher 161-1 and the pusher guide hole 11-1a of the insert 11-1 to appropriately face each other. If a pushing operation is carried out while the test trays 11c, 11d or the match plates 161a, 161b are thermally expanded or contracted, thereby making the guide pin 161-1a of the pusher 161-1 not inserted into the pusher guide hole 11-1a of the insert 11-1 correctly, then the insert 11-1 might be damaged and ultimately a loose contact between the lead of the semiconductor device and the test terminal of the socket 210-1 might be happened.
Accordingly, in order to overcome such a problem, the insert 11-1 is made to freely move in all directions within the preset limits on the frame 11-2 of the test tray 11, and the contactability of the semiconductor device and the test terminal can be improved through such a freely moving structure. Concretely, if the insert 11-1 can move freely against the frame 11-2 of the test tray 11, the guide pin 161-1a of the pusher 161-1 and the pusher guide hole 11-1a of the insert 11-1 face each other within the limits in which compensation can be made through the free movement of the insert 11-1 even though the test tray 11 or the match plate 161a or 161b is thermally expanded or contracted, thus it is easy to make a combination relationship of the pusher 161-1-insert 11-1-socket 210-1.
FIG. 6, as described above, is a cross sectional view conceptually illustrating a structure where the insert 11-1 is combined to the frame 11-2 of the test tray 11 by a combining unit so as to be able to move freely. As in FIG. 6, the combining unit includes a bolt combining hole 11-3a (also, see FIG. 5) formed in the insert 11-1; a bolt penetration hole 11-3b formed in the frame 11-2 of the test tray 11; and a bolt 11-3c. And, the insert 11-1 is combined to the frame 11-2 of the test tray 11 through the bolt 11-3c so as to be able to move freely. To more concretely describe the combination structure where the insert 11-1 can move freely, for example, as in FIG. 6, the bolt penetration hole 11-3b having a diameter larger than the external diameter of the bolt 11-3c is formed in the frame 11-2 of the test tray 11, and the bolt combination hole 11-3a is formed in the insert 11-1. And then, a head 11-3c1 being one end of the bolt 11-3c is made to be caught by the bolt penetration hole 11-3b and the extended other end of the bolt 11-3c, i.e., a male screw end 11-3c2, passes through the bolt penetration hole 11-3b with room and then is combined to the bolt combining hole 11-3a of the insert 11-1. Thus, ultimately, the insert 11-1 is installed to the frame 11-2 of the test tray 11 to be able to move freely. For reference, as in FIG. 7, the bolt penetration holes 11-3b formed in the frame 11-2 of the test tray 11 of the prior art are all formed in a circle shape having the same diameter ‘r’, thus the insert located around the center of the test tray and the insert located around the outer part of the test tray all have the same free movement limits.
On the other hand, the test tray 11 of the prior art has 32 or 64 inserts 11-1, thus the test tray 11 is relatively of small size. And, the test temperature has been from 30° C. below zero to 125° C. above zero, thus the thermal expansion or contraction of the test tray 11 or the match plate 161a, 161b can be compensated even only with the aforementioned free movement structure.
However, recently, as the one-time processing capacity of a tester is improved, it is required to make the test tray and the match plate corresponding thereto in a large size so that as many semiconductor devices as possible can be tested at a time. And, it is a trend that the test temperature is also required to be a low temperature of below −45° C. or a high temperature of above 135° C. In this case, the extent of the thermal expansion or contraction of the match plate and the test tray, i.e., the extent of location change of the pusher of the match plate and insert of the test tray, is made larger (recall the edge of the match plate or test tray) as the test tray and the match plate are made in a large size. Such extent of location change is more greatly amplified by a worsened temperature condition. Therefore, the relative location difference of the pusher and the insert corresponding to such a location change also becomes larger. The relative location difference of the insert and the pusher becomes larger as it goes to the outer part of the test tray or the match plate.
Accordingly, in consideration of the outer part of the test tray or the match plate, in case that a large-sized test tray is applied under the inferior temperature condition newly required, it is inevitable for the loose contact between the semiconductor devices and the test terminals or the damages of the inserts to take place because the thermal expansion or contraction of the test tray or the match plate cannot sufficiently compensated only with the aforementioned insert free movement structure. And, such a problem means that the number of the semiconductor devices that can be processed at a time should be limited thereto.